11:26, 22 May 2008

Georgia's CEC cancels voting outcomes of 13 polling stations

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Georgia has annulled the tabulated election results at 13 polling stations in different areas of the country because of admitted violations.

"The voting results have been rejected because of a number registered violations, namely, drop-in of forged ballot papers into ballot boxes, illegal removal of observers from polling stations, refusal to accept observers' complaints and using a damaged ballot box," Zurab Kachkachishvili, press speaker of the CEC, has reported today.

Yesterday, on May 21, Georgia held its parliamentary elections to elect a total of 150 Deputies by two - proportional and majority - systems. Members of the group of international observers assert that as a whole the voting across Georgia had passed without any gross violations.

Today morning, President Mikhail Saakashvili has addressed the people of Georgia and thanked them for participation in the yesterday's parliamentary elections.